The House [2017] ★★½

In a summer filled with sequels and reboots, it’s good to encounter a raunchy comedy that delivers on its promise. To make a long story short, I don’t ask much from a comedy: I want it to make me laugh, and “The House” does just that. I know what Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler are capable of, but I didn’t expect them to have this tremendous chemistry together. They play a married couple who decide to start an underground casino in order to pay their daughter’s college tuition. The ultimate joke of the movie is that these characters, who couldn’t be more like a typical American family, wind up in an illegal business with all the mayhem and raunchiness that you would expect from a movie starring Ferrell and Poehler. Thus, “The House” has plenty of laugh-out loud moments, mainly halfway through when things go out of control. Costars Jason Mantzoukas and Ryan Simpkins all have their moments, but this is Ferrell and Poehler’s show all the way, and they make the best of it, even when the jokes fall flat at times. You expect hardcore hilarity from “The House” and you get it. If this sounds like your cup of tea, then this is the movie for you.